Substance

Critic Score
Based on 2 reviews
User Score
Based on 404 ratings
July 11, 1988 / Release Date
Compilation / Format
Factory / Label
Joy DivisionWriter
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Critic Reviews

100
AllMusic
The end result turned up in 1988, and as a listen easily demonstrated that the same sheer sweep and energy that applied to the band over a full-length album similarly worked, even more so, with the focus of a 7" or 12" release.
80
Rolling Stone
Unlike most bands that came soaring out of the 1977 revolution, Joy Division ends up somewhere quite different from where it begins.
WishUu
90

Although this is almost as good as Closer and Unknown Pleasures, the atmosphere that sets apart those two albums is lacking here. The production is excellent for punk music, but I imagine a scenario when I listen to Joy Division. For this, there was no scenario.

Natedrizzle007
92

Amazing album. Definitely deserving of a compilation. Picked their best songs. There is a plethora of fantastic songs all across this album. Some really amazing ones like Transmission, Warsaw, Atmosphere and She's Lost Control with it’s industrial reworking. They are incredible. But one stands at the cream of the crop. As one of the best songs ever. Love Will Tear Us Apart for me is a top 25 song ever. It's unimaginable. Quite literally the definitive song about heartbreak and ... read more

dearsongs
NR

Of course they dropped 2 absolutely essential albums, but Joy Division also saved some of their finest songs for release as singles.

Transmission, Dead Souls, Atmosphere, & Love Will Tear Us Apart are the absolutely obvious highlights, but those early art punk numbers are also superb.

The vinyl release had just the 10 songs listed, the CD release was 17 tracks.

More popular reviews
lenzcraze
NR

Not hard to point out why this is a good posthumous compilation album, all that was taken was some non-album singles as well as a couple of b sides, but yet this still manages to decently hold up well as another solid piece of Joy Division's discography. Won't be giving this a rating but I would recommend a listen

Standout tracks: Love Will Tear Us Apart, Atmosphere, Transmission, Autosuggestion
Least Favorite: Warsaw

eddian80
70

FRIENDS vs. FAMILY vs. DISCORD vs. ROBLOX - ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS

ALBUM #55 (Team Family): Substance by Joy Division
(Recommended by my uncle)

First repeat artist on the challenge! It's also the 3rd project I have heard from Joy Division, and well I will say this is probably the weakest I've heard so far. The songs struggle with progression and lack any sort of atmosphere (ironic for track 9), but they still manage to hold a level of memorability that make Joy Division special. The ... read more

92

Great compilation album, it has some amazing singles on it.
It has the same kind of flow throughout the entire album.
“She’s Lost Control” has a whole new sound to it compared to the recording on Unknown Pleasures, which I think is a nice addition.

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Track List

  1. Warsaw
  2. Leaders of Men
  3. Digital
  4. Autosuggestion
  5. Transmission
  6. She's Lost Control
  7. Incubation
  8. Dead Souls
  9. Atmosphere
  10. Love Will Tear Us Apart
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